


The Cold Embrace of Family

by SerenityRiver12



Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Dark Brotherhood Questline, F/M, Inspired by Skyrim
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-24
Updated: 2020-03-08
Packaged: 2020-03-13 13:33:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18942028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SerenityRiver12/pseuds/SerenityRiver12
Summary: (I do not claim to own the game or any affiliated characters from the franchise.)This is the story of a young girl that loses one family after another, and after forcing herself to be isolated to protect others from herself, she finds a kindred spirit in a strange man wearing a jesters outfit, and a misfit family of assassins.Note: this work runs parallel to and includes characters from another story I wrote titled "I Hate That I Like You", a Dragonborn/Vilkas fanfic.





	1. Every Good Story Starts Somewhere...

**Author's Note:**

> Name Key  
> Dunmer name: Llirala  
> Imperial name: lyra  
> Mother: valoria  
> Father: seryn  
> Adopted dad: Aldaone Deravi  
> Childhood friend: Talvas Andoril  
> Caravan leader: Dro'fazir

**Background**

  
_Lyra is the daughter of Valoria, an Imperial, and Seryn a dark elf. Her mother died in childbirth, leaving her father to care for his new daughter alone. To make ends meet, he took any job, which included ones not strictly legal both in Morrowind and Skyrim. When he had to leave for jobs, he left Lyra, called Llirala in public, with an old friend named Aldaone Deravi of House Hluula. The name Lyra was the name her mother wished for her before she died, and while her husband honored her wish, he called her Llirala so other Dunmer would not question her parentage._  
  
_As Lyra got older, she eventually went with her father on the less dangerous job trips, but often had to stay at Inns while he worked. When she was six years old, she had fallen asleep in a room at The Retching Netch, waiting for her father. He quietly rushed in very late at night, woke her up and told her to hide under the bed and not to make a sound. She did as he asked and hid. He franticly went around the room trying to pack everything they had until the door slammed open. Lyra covered her mouth as she watched a pair of feet walk into the room. She heard the man and her father talk, but her heart was beating so loud, the words sounded muffled. She closed her eyes tight, hoping it was a dream. She heard them fight, then silence. Something fell to the floor, followed by footsteps leaving the room and the door closing. Lyra slowly opened her eyes and couldn’t believe what she saw. Her father was lying on the floor, bleeding. She quietly crawled out and went to him. She tried to shake him and wake him up, but he wouldn’t open his eyes. She sat there and cried, not knowing what to do. She cried for hours until the innkeeper found her. Once she was able to calm down, she told the innkeeper to send for ‘uncle’ Aldaone. She was led to a table away from the room and given a small meal while she waited. Aldaone came with two other house members and asked her what happened. She tearfully retold everything she saw before breaking down, crying again. Aldaone picked her up, wrapping his cloak around her, and instructed the men to bring the body of her father and their possessions to his house. In the following days, her father is given a funeral and Aldaone promises to care for her and protect her for as long as he can, and can stay with him for as long as she wants._  
  
_Over the years, she is educated in history and politics, trained in mercantile, but also subterfuge, pickpocket, and spying in secret by other house members and her childhood friend Talvas Andoril, from the Indoril house. When Llirala turned 13, she asked her now adoptive father if she could study dancing and serve as a court dancer to repay him for his kindness. Aldaone tells her that’s not necessary and it was the least he could do for her late father. She argued that with her training, she could be in a better position to learn secrets that would benefit the Hluula House. As a woman and a dancer, men would be more inclined to lower their guard and boast secrets. Aldaone refused to involver her in house politics and dealings, but eventually gave in after she pestered him. Talvas and Llirala grew closer as she got older, and Aldaone eventually found out._  
  
_Growing up, he had warned her about being friends with someone from the Indoril House, citing their long feud since the Second Era, as the Indoril House opposed the Armistice with Tiber Septim and blames the Hluula House for their loss of power and influence. After a heated argument with Aldaone, Llirala is forbidden from seeing Talvas again, and she responds by reminding him that he is not her father. In the days leading up to her 18th birthday, she continues to see Talvas in secret._  
  
_On the night of her birthday, Aldaone had left a present for her in her room. Her mother’s amulet, given to Aldaone by her father for safe keeping. Feeling guilt for their previous fight, she left for his room to thank him for the gift and apologize. Upon entering his room, she finds him dead on the floor with a knife in his back. In a state of panic, she goes to him and removes the knife, at which point a servant walks in and screams for the guards. Llirala claims her innocence, but it falls on deaf ears as she is carried off to a jail cell. Talvas visits her and she pleads with him to help her get out. He reveals that he has no intention of helping, as everything is going according to his masters’ plan. He tells her that her father backed out of a job that cost his master dearly, and knew she survived after her father was eliminated. His job was to become friends with her and learn what secrets he could, and eventually eliminate her. Talvas admitted he did grow to care for her, and even tried to convince his master that she was not worth killing, but he was punished for trying and threated to be killed and replaced if he could not complete his task. Hurt and enraged, she spit at him and told him she would never forgive him. He left her alone and she spent the next several hours mourning over the loss of her adoptive father and the betrayal of her friend._  
  
_Knowing they would surely execute her for Aldaone’s murder, she planned her escape. She faked an illness to alert the guards, and when they opened her cell, she knocked them out and ran. She snuck back to her room and grabbed what she could, including what little she had left of her father. She manages to sneak out to the docks and pays a boat to take her to skyrim. The boat docks in Windhelm, and she sells most of her dancer jewelry to buy warmer clothes and food before leaving the hold. After a week of traveling on her own, she meets a khajiit caravan, introduces herself as Lyra and asks if she can work for food. The caravan leader, Dro'fazir, declines but instead offers to share food if she helps them hunt. She agrees and proves to be proficient with a bow. After the hunt, she joins the caravan and tells them of her merchant training. Dro'fazir insists they do not need the extra help, but she argues that she can make deals for them inside the holds, since caravans are not allowed inside hold walls, and they can help teach her how to survive on her own. He agreed to her terms, but on a trial basis. She spent the next year traveling with them and made a new friend that would occasionally travel with them between jobs. The last time she saw her friend, she was making a delivery someplace across the Skyrim border in Cyrodil._  
  
_In the weeks leading up to the anniversary of her adoptive father’s death, she started having nightmares that made Dro'fazir concerned. These dreams eventually turned into night terrors, and she nearly punched one of the khajiit that tried to wake her up. Fearing for his clans safety as well as her own, Dro'fazir tells her it would be best if she stopped traveling with them. Heartbroken, she leaves as he requests. She spends the next year doing odd jobs here and there, and never staying in one place for too long, and refuses to sleep in inns for fear of hurting someone._

_After a job that required her to track down an escaped criminal, she begrudgingly spends the night at an inn, due to a storm…_


	2. Night Terrors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (I do not claim to own the game or any affiliated characters from the franchise.)  
> This is the story of a young girl that loses one family after another, and after forcing herself to be isolated to protect others from herself, she finds a kindred spirit in a strange man wearing a jesters outfit, and a misfit family of assassins.  
> Note: this work runs parallel to and includes characters from another story I wrote titled "I Hate That I Like You", a Dragonborn/Vilkas fanfic on DeviantArt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Name Key  
> Dunmer name: Llirala  
> Imperial name: lyra  
> Mother: valoria  
> Father: seryn  
> Adopted dad: Aldaone Deravi  
> Childhood friend: Talvas Andoril  
> Caravan leader: Dro'fazir

**Story Start**  
  
  
I walked into the inn, my cloak soaked from the sudden downpour. Tracking down the escaped convict ended up taking longer than I thought. That slippery bosmer would have lost me in the cave if he was watching where he was running. A well placed rock took care of him, so at least I didn’t have to kill him myself.  
  
  
I put down my hood but kept the cloak on. All I wanted right now was something to eat and a warm bed. There was no way I was camping outside tonight.   
  
  
I ordered some soup and bread, and paid what little money I got off the convict for a room. The place was quiet, except for a bard playing some unknown tune in the corner. I ate my food quietly at the table against the wall, with my back to the firepit, hoping to dry it some.  
  
  
Living on my own was lonely. I missed my friends in the caravan and Dro’fazir’s stories by the campfire. I kept trying to convince myself that it was for the best, but I missed being around people I knew. I missed having a family.  
  
  
With the exhaustion setting in, I turned in for the night. I didn’t bother changing out of the armor I salvaged from a dead thief in Riften. It had stayed mostly dry, thankfully. I threw the damp cloak over a chair in the corner, put my knife under the pillow, threw my pack near the bed, and collapsed into the soft mattress.  
  
  
  
**~Dream Start~**  
  
  
The drum music starts as I walk out to the middle of the room, my dance costume flowing around my legs like smoke and the bangles on my ankles clinking with every step. The pounding of my heart beats in time with the drums.   
  
I feel myself move to every note when the flue starts playing. My hips and chest reacting to the fast pace of the drums, and my arms and hands to the flute as the music washes over me. I can hear the people around me clapping to the beat.  
  
  
I’m spinning as the music hits its high point when the light around me fades and a blood curdling scream stops me in my tracks.  
  
  
I look down and see Aldaone… with the knife in his back…  
“No, not again...”  
  
  
I pulled the knife from his back. When I looked up, I saw my father turning from me and walking away.  
  
My body felt heavy, but I pushed to reach him.  
All the feelings of sadness and anger at him leaving me alone bubbled up.  
When I reached him, I turned him around and screamed,  
  
  
“Why? ... How could you leave me alone?”  
  
  
I pounded on his chest, forgetting the knife in my hand.  
The knife sunk into his chest, and I watched in horror as his clothes became soaked in blood.  
  
  
“No! This can’t be! This has to be a dream…I need to  **_wake up_ ** ”  
  
  
**~Dream End~**  
  
  
As I come to, I’m no longer on my bed.  
I’m at the inn, standing over the body of the innkeeper… with my knife in his chest.  
  
  
_Oh no. It happened again…_  
  
  
The bard from earlier walked in and froze on the spot when he saw the body.  
Before I could react, he ran off shouting “murder! Someone call the guards!”  
  
  
It was an accident, but I wasn’t going to stick around to explain. I grabbed my pack and quickly pulled the knife from the body before running as fast as I could out the door.  
  
  
I ran until I came to a river. It was still dark when I left the inn, but now the birds were waking up with the sun and singing. I sat down on the riverbank and washed my face before taking a drink. I remembered the knife that was still covered in blood in my pack, and took it out to clean it off.  
I need to go somewhere, but more importantly, I need to stock up on supplies.  
I took out the map that I had made during my time with the caravan to try to figure out where I was now.  
  
  
“Hmm…if I follow the river north, I should reach Whiterun. I think my friend said she had a little place there, and she should be back from her delivery job in Cyrodil by now.”  
  
  
I repacked my stuff and followed the river to the north. 


	3. A Helping Hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Listener x Cicero fanfic
> 
> (I do not claim to own the game or any affiliated characters from the franchise.)
> 
> This is the story of a young girl that loses one family after another, and after forcing herself to be isolated to protect others from herself, she finds a kindred spirit in a strange man wearing a jesters outfit, and a misfit family of assassins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTE: The friend in this part is unnamed, since they are never called by name in the Vilkas fanfic.

Running all the way from Vilemyr Inn to the bridge near Hillgrund's Tomb was exhausting, but by the time I got to the gates of Whiterun, the sun was setting and my legs felt like they would give out if I stopped walking. My friend said she had a place just inside the wall, and I almost breathed a sigh of relief until a guard stopped me.

“Halt! What business do you have in Whiterun?”

“I am visiting a friend that lives here,” I dug around in my pack for an old note from her. “She said to show this to any guard that gives me trouble.”

I hand the note to the guard for him to read.  


“…Alright, you can enter.”

As he hands back the note, I ask for directions to her house.  


“The Thanes’ house is just past the smithy, on the right.”

_Thane? She’s the Thane of Whiterun?_  
  


The gates creaked open and I walked into the Hold. There were still some people walking around, most looked like they were heading to the tavern. I felt anxious walking up to the house. Would she even be home? I haven’t written her in months and I doubt she would even remember her invitation.

I hesitantly knocked. From inside I heard,

“Who is it?”

“It’s Lyra, from Dro’fazir’s caravan?”

After a few moments, the door opened and I was greeted with a hug.  


“By the gods Lyra, I didn’t expect to see you here! You should have written to me and let me know you were in the area…”

“Well, this wasn’t really a planned visit…”

She let me go and led me inside. The home was small, but she had weapons of all kinds on display, and shelves filled with books on every discipline of combat and magic.

“Come sit by the fire. I just finished making dinner.”

I placed my pack in the corner by the little table and sat in the chair by the fire. It felt strange being in a house, since I am so used to camping out in the wilderness.

She handed me some stew and placed a bottle of honey mead on the table before serving herself.

“Here. Be careful, it’s hot.”

“Thanks, really. I’m still not that great at cooking yet. Anything I make would either be burned or too bland.”

“Ha! You just need more practice. How is Dro’fazir these days?”

I thought for a moment, wondering if I should tell her what’s been going on.

“I…wouldn’t know. I haven’t seen the caravan in almost a year.”

My friend stopped eating and looked at me.

“What? Why? Did something happen?”

I set my now empty bowl down and took a swig of the mead before answering.

“Yeah, they kicked me out. Dro’fazir said it would be best for everyone if I left.”

She gave me a concerned look, but said nothing. I guess she either didn’t want to push for an answer, or she didn’t know where to start. After a few more drinks, I told her about my night terrors, how I was kicked out of the caravan, and the accident I had at the inn.

“Oh Lyra, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay. I tend to keep my problems to myself anyway…”

“Still, is there anything I can do for you?”

“Well, I was hoping you had some work or and bounties you could pass on to me. I’m running low on coin and I really didn’t want to ask the thieves guild for more work. I nearly got caught during the last job they sent me on.”

“I should still have some bounties from other holds on the table near the kitchen, if you want to take a look through those, but you should rest here a couple days before you leave.”

I gave her a confused look. Did she miss the part about the night terrors?

“I don’t think that’s a good idea…”

“Nonsense. There are giants that like to roam around here, so it would be safer for you to spend the night here. Plus, I can help if you get into trouble.”

“Oh yeah, I heard the guard say you are a Thane now? How did that happen?”

“Ugh, I was given the title after saving some soldiers from a dragon attack.”

I nearly choked on my drink.

_A dragon?_

“I thought the dragons died out.”

“Nope. And one of the nastier ones that was supposed to be dead came back and burned Helgen to the ground. I got caught in an Imperial trap as I was crossing the border back into Skyrim, along with the Jarl of Windhelm. They brought us to Helgen for a public execution, and I almost lost my head.”

“Gods…”

“Yeah, but I had a nasty burn on my back where the dragons’ fire grazed me…and I’m also apparently the Dragonborn because I absorbed a dragons soul.”

“A…Dragonborn? From the stories?”

“Yeah, like the ones’ that killed the World Eater. I can also use their shouts, but it take a great deal of energy and concentration.”

I really didn’t envy her. Having titles like that makes you stand out, and makes it harder for you to hide.

“Hey, let’s save this talk for the morning. I have a spare room upstairs, right across from mine. You can put your pack up there and use the bed.”

“But, the night terrors…”

She collected the bottles and bowls before walking to the kitchen area.

“It will be okay. I can make something to help you sleep. I’ll even tie you to the bedposts if you like.”

I snorted.

“I don’t think we need to go that far, but I appreciate the thought.”

“Then it’s settled. I have some spare clothes up there that should fit you, too.”

I picked up my pack and followed her upstairs to the spare room. There wasn’t much there besides a dresser and a bed, but it looked comfortable.

“Go ahead and get changed, and I will see what I can make downstairs. In the morning, we can catch up, do some shopping, and get your armor fixed up. My treat.”

“Thanks, but I will repay you later.”

She left the room, closing the door behind her and went back downstairs. Looking through the drawers, there were a few dresses that looked like they had never been worn, and a few nice tunics with matching pants. I chose something comfortable to wear, threw my dirty clothes in the corner, and put them on. She was right, the fit was pretty close to my size.

My friend knocked on the door before entering.

“Hey, I have the potion here. I might have made it a little strong, but you should have a dreamless sleep with this… you just might not wake up till almost midday.”

I shrug and take the potion.

“That’s okay. I could use the extra sleep since I didn’t get any last night.”

“The potion should work pretty quickly, so you should get in bed after taking it. My room is right across the way in case you need something.”

“Thanks…goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Lyra.”

The door closed with a soft click as she left for her room. She’s always been so nice and understanding, but I feel bad for taking such advantage of her hospitality. I will only stay another night before taking one of her bounties. It’s best not to stay in one place for too long.

I drank the bitter tasting potion and climbed into bed. It wasn’t long before I felt as if a huge, heavy blanket was being pulled over me.

**~The Next Morning~**

I woke up, my body still feeling a bit heavy. I was still in the bed and for once, I couldn’t remember what I dreamed, if I dreamed at all. A knock at the door disturbed my thoughts.

“Wake up, sleepyhead~ It’s time to start the day.”

I struggled to just sit up in bed.  


“I’m having a hard time moving…”

She came in and looked at me, puzzled.

“You can’t move? I guess I did make it too strong. I will make you a feather potion to counteract the effects. How did you sleep?”

“Pretty well, actually.”

“I should hope so, its lunchtime. I tried to wake you for breakfast, but you wouldn’t budge.”

I stretched my limbs and yawned, still trying to wake up. I heard her go back downstairs and move what sounded like bottles around, before coming back up.

“Here, this should help.”

She handed me a light-colored bottle with a sweet smelling liquid inside. As soon as I drank it, I felt much lighter than before.

“Alright, let’s get you cleaned up and dressed. Then we can go take care of errands.”

She helped me brush out my hair and laid out some clothes for me while I washed up. She showed me around, introduced me to several people while we shopped, and true to her word, she helped improve my armor. Afterwards, we spent the rest of the evening at The Bannered Mare catching up and talking about adventures from the past year. I found out that she had joined the Companions and found a sweetheart named Vilkas. She tried to offer to set me up with his brother, Farkas, but I successfully steered the conversation away from that. We drank and talked well into the night before we dragged our tired selves to bed.

 

 

**~The Next Day~**

The next morning, I found a note saying she had to take care of something and would be back by nightfall. I didn’t plan on staying another night so I packed my things and the supplies we bought yesterday. Downstairs, I found some potions she must have made before she left, with a note and a recipe for making more. Sleeping draughts and feather potions.

_Heh, she always thinks of everything…_

I went over to the small table by the bookshelf to look through the collection of bounties. Some were on killing giants, wolves, forsworn, dragons, and bandits.

_Most of these are either just north of here or up by Winterhold._

There was one that mentioned a bandit boss in Uttering Hills Cave. Feeling this one was in the best location, I took the paper, got my things together, and headed out.


	4. A Funny Thing Happened on The Way to Windhelm…

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (I do not claim to own the game or any affiliated characters from the franchise.)  
> This is the story of a young girl that loses one family after another, and after forcing herself to be isolated to protect others from herself, she finds a kindred spirit in a strange man wearing a jesters outfit, and a misfit family of assassins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will be trying to do regular updates every other day, and I hope to have this story finished before I start classes. If not, there might be a 4 week delay between updates.

After leaving Whiterun, I headed up the North road instead of taking the East road, in order to avoid patrols that might still be looking for me after that incident with the innkeeper. By midday I had made it to a little farm, where I noticed a strange person standing next to a cart with a broken wheel.

 

"Agh! Bother and befuddle! Stuck here! Stuck! My mother, my poor mother. Unmoving. At rest, but too still!"

 

I approached him,

 

“Is there a problem?”

 

"Poor Cicero is stuck. Can't you see? I was transporting my dear, sweet mother. Well, not her. Her corpse! She's quite dead. I'm taking mother to a new home. A new crypt. But... aggh! Wagon wheel! Damnedest wagon wheel! It broke! Don't you see?"

 

_Poor man, it sounds like he can’t catch a break._

“Is there something I can do to help?”

 

"Oh. Oh yes! Yes, the kindly stranger can certainly help! Go to the farm - the Loreius Farm. Just over there, off the road. Talk to Loreius. He has tools! He can help me! But he won't! He refuses! Convince Loreius to fix my wheel! Do that, and poor Cicero will reward you. With coin! Gleamy, shiny coin!"

 

“Alright, I will be back soon.”

 

I climbed up the little hill and found the farmer working in the field with what I am assuming is his wife.

 

“Excuse me, are you Loreius?”

"Oh, for the love of Mara. What now?"

 

_Rude._

 

“Whoa, I just came to ask if you would help that man down there with his wagon.”

 

"That Cicero feller? Hmph. Tell me something I don't know. Crazy fool's already asked me about five times. Seems he's not satisfied with my answer. Why can't he just leave us alone?"

 

“If you want him to leave so badly, would it not be in your best interest to help him? He is likely to pay you for helping, too.”

 

"Pay me? You think this is about money? Have you seen the man? He's completely out of his head. A jester? Here, in Skyrim? Ain't been a merryman in these parts for a hundred years. And he's transporting some giant box. Says it's a coffin, and he's going to bury his mother. Mother my eye. He could have anything in there. War contraband. Weapons. Skooma. Ain't no way I'm getting involved in any of that."

 

_He can’t be that stupid._

“Come on, Cicero is a stranger that needs help. Please do the right thing.”

 

"What? And just who in Mara's name are you, anyway? Hmm? Come here, telling me my business. And for what? To help a... a... a fool!"

 

_Keep calm. Resist the urge to punch him._

I sighed, “Look, he’s not going to leave until that wheel is fixed. Where is your sense of kindness and charity? What kind of person turns away a stranger in need of help?”

 

"Look, I... I... You're right. You're right. Feller might be nutters, might not. But fact is, he needs help. I turn him away, what kind of man am I, hmm? Look, um... Thanks. And I'm sorry for my unneighborly reaction. If you talk to Cicero, you be sure and tell him I'll be down to help soon."

 

“Thanks. I will go inform him.”

 

I jogged back down the hill to the strange man.

 

"Poor mother... Her new home seems so very far..."

 

“Cicero? I talked to Loreius. He's agreed to fix your wagon wheel.”

 

 "You... you did? He has? Oh stranger! You have made Cicero so happy!”

 

He started doing a little dance that made me smile.

 

“So jubilant and ecstatic! But more! Even more! My mother thanks you! Here, here. For your troubles! Shiny, clinky gold! A few coins for a kind deed! And thank you! Thank you again."

 

“Thanks, but are you sure you will be okay?”

 

"I will wait for Loreius! Oh yes, mother and I will wait right here, right here until he fixes our wheel."

 

“Okay. I hope you will be able to put your mother to rest soon.”

 

“Ooh, such kindness you show to poor Cicero. May Cicero know the name of the fair maiden that has rescued this wretched soul?”

 

“O-oh, um, I’m called Lyra.”

 

“Lyra, a sweet, pretty name for a pretty elf!”

 

I shifted in place nervously, not being used to such complements.

 

“Cicero, am I correct in assuming that you are a jester?”

 

“HmmM? Why yes! Cicero is the Fool of Hearts!”

 

“I thought so, I used to be a performer too. I was a dancer, but it’s been a long while since those days…”

 

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Loreius walking down with his tools to fix the wagon wheel.

 

“Well Cicero, it’s been nice talking to you, but I should get back on the road.”

 

“So soon? Parting is such sweet sorrow…”

 

He takes my hand in his, and gives it a light kiss that brings a blush to my cheeks.

 

“Maybe one day Cicero will see the sweet Lyra again!”

 

With that, I squeaked out a goodbye and headed up the road. He is definitely an interesting man…

 

**~**

 

I managed to get to Uttering Hills Cave by nightfall, which made taking out the two guarding bandits outside easy. Taking out the two bandits that were patrolling the cave tunnels was tricky, but the ones by the campfire were hard to take down. I typically go for long range kills from corners and shadows, but sometimes I have to work up-close with a dagger. I slowly made my way through the cave, taking out the rest of the bandits and their boss with minimal damage to myself. After taking any weapons or armor worth more than a few gold pieces, I made my way back through all the rooms and collected a bunch of useful items like food, a couple books, some clothes, a few corundum ore pieces, and a mammoth tusk. With the cave cleared, I headed to Windhelm.

 

**~**

 

I hate the cold. It’s bad enough it’s always cold here, but this hold in particular I really don’t care for. The way most of these nords treat dunmer is disgusting. I ended up having to rent a room at Candlehearth Hall, since all the shops were closed for the night. Once I settled into the room, I took out one of the sleeping potions and had a few sips, so the effects were not as strong as last time.

 

 

**~The Next Day~**

 

 

I woke up feeling a little groggy, but not as bad as last time. Despite that, I still took some of the feather potion before packing up my stuff and heading out to the shops.

 

**~**

 

I managed to get a good price for the weapons and armor I took off the bandits and now had a comfortable about of gold on me, now I just had to claim the bounty. On my walk to the Palace of The Kings, I overheard a kid talking to their mother…

 

"Then it's true, what everyone is saying? That Aventus Aretino is doing the Black Sacrament? Trying to summon the Dark Brotherhood?"

 

"Oh, Grimvar... always with the nonsense. No, no, of course not. Those are just tales..."

 

"Fine. Then I'll invite him out to play. He lives right there. I'm going to knock on his door..."

 

"No, child! Wait! That boy, that house - they're cursed."

 

 "Ha! Then I'm right. I knew it. He's trying to have somebody killed!"

 

"All right. I won't deny it, child. What you heard is true. But Aventus Aretino walks a dark path. His actions can lead only to ruin. Now, enough. We will speak no more of this. I am the only friend you need.”

 

_The Dark Brotherhood? The assassins that broke away from the Morag Tong? Why would a child summon them?_

I made my way inside the palace and found the steward.

“What business do you have here?”

 

I pulled out the paper that stated the terms of the bounty.

 

“I cleared the bandits from Uttering Hills Cave. They shouldn’t give you any more trouble.”

 

“Excellent, here is the reward.”

 

100 gold. I got more from their weapons and armor alone.

 

As I left the palace, my thoughts drifted to the Aventus boy I heard about earlier. Even if he is trying to summon a group of assassins, he shouldn’t be alone. After walking around for a bit, I managed to find the house Aventus was hiding in.

 

Finding the door unlocked, I went inside and quietly looked around. A lot of things here were broken or covered in dust, meaning no one had lived here for some time. As I walked up the stairs, I heard a small voice…

 

"Sweet Mother, sweet Mother, send your child unto me, for the sins of the unworthy must be baptized in blood and fear… so tired…"

 

I crept up slowly, trying not to startle him and was met with a gruesome sight. The boy was kneeling in a circle of candles and stabbing what looked like an animal heart. As I stepped closer, a floorboard beneath me creaked and the boy looked up at me with a look of surprise and relief.

 

  "It worked! I knew you'd come, I just knew it! I did the Black Sacrament, over and over. With the body and the... the things. And then you came! An assassin from the Dark Brotherhood."

 

“Assassin? I'm sorry, boy, but I'm not who you think I am.”

 

 "Of course you are! I prayed, and you came, and now you'll accept my contract."

 

“Contract?”

 

 "My mother, she... she died. I... I'm all alone now. So they sent me to that terrible orphanage in Riften. Honorhall. The headmistress is an evil, cruel woman. They call her Grelod the Kind. But she's not kind. She's terrible. To all of us. So I ran away, and came home. And performed the Black Sacrament. Now you're here! And you can kill Grelod the Kind!"

 

“Are you sure about this, boy? Murdering this woman?”

 

 "I've never been more sure about anything in my entire life. Someone like Grelod doesn't deserve to live one more day. She's a monster. Please don't kill Constance Michel though. She really is kind."

 

“…Alright, child. I will accept your contract.”

 

"Please hurry. To be honest, I'm kind of lonely here. As much as I hated getting sent to Honorhall, I really miss my friends there..."

 

With that, I left the boy alone and left the house.

 

_Am I really going to do this? I’m sure things can’t be that bad, otherwise they wouldn’t send kids there…right?_

I need to see for myself if it is really as bad as he says it is. Against my better judgment, I left the Hold and headed south for Riften.

 

 

**~The Next Day~**

 

I walked through the day and all through the night, but I reached Riften in the early hours of the day. I was exhausted. There was no way I could check out the orphanage before nightfall, so I got a room at The Bee and Barb. I will rest until sunset when most people are at home, so there’s less of a risk of being seen.

 

**~**

 

I woke up a few hours later, still tired but not as much as when I first got here. Time to get a bite to eat, and then check out the orphanage.

 

**~**

 

After a small meal, I headed out to the orphanage. It seemed like a decent place on the outside. Inside, however, was another story…

 

Grelod: "Those who shirk their duties will get an extra beating. Do I make myself clear?"

 

Orphans: "Yes, Grelod."

 

Grelod: "And one more thing! I will hear no more talk of adoptions! None of you riff-raff is getting adopted. Ever! Nobody needs you, nobody wants you. That, my darlings, is why you're here. Why you will always be here, until the day you come of age and get thrown into that wide, horrible world. Now, what do you all say?"

 

Orphans: "We love you, Grelod. Thank you for your kindness."

 

Grelod: "That's better. Now scurry off, my little guttersnipes."

 

I could feel my stomach turn.

 

_This is why the boy want’s her dead. Why would the Jarl let a woman like this take care of children?_

A younger woman approached me,

 

“I'm sorry, but you should go. The children aren't up for adoption, and it's cruel to get their hopes up. Besides, Grelod hates... visitors."

 

“Is she always like this?”

 

"Sadly, yes. Even the townsfolk have taken to calling her 'Grelod the Kind.' Her very existence has become something of a running joke. Grelod runs this orphanage because she's old, and set in her ways, and doesn't know any other life. These children need love, and comfort. I try... But...”

 

As if on cue, Grelod ‘the kind’ marches up to us,

 

"What do you want? You have no business being in here!"

 

As much as I wanted to punch her right then and there, I don’t want witnesses. I instead put on my best smile,

 

“I happen to be here on business, but it seems that I should come back later…”

 

With that, I left the orphanage and headed back to my room at the Bee and Barb to figure out a plan to remove Grelod.

 

**~**

 

I killed some time by having a couple drinks with the locals and prepping my weapon at the nearby forge. I still had one small invisibility potion that I found at the bandit cave, and I planned to use that for sneaking out. As I walked through the streets, I tried to stay out of view of the guards and creep around the other side of the orphanage to get to the door. I knelt down and picked the lock with ease. Once inside, I saw that everyone was asleep. I kept my footsteps quiet as I walked across the main sleeping area to Grelods’ room. I listened at the door for a moment to make sure there was no movement on the other side, then entered.

This almost felt too easy. Making sure the door was closed behind me, I walked up to her bed and took out my dagger. Carefully picking up a nearby pillow, I placed it over her face to muffle any noise and stabbed her right in the chest. She made a small noise and struggled only for a moment, and then she was still.

 

_I did it. I killed her in cold blood…_

I took the pillow off her face and placed it back on the bed. I managed to turn her on her side, facing away from the door and covered her with the blanket to make it look like she was still sleeping.

 

_Great…now to get out of here…_

I wiped off the dagger and put it back in its sheath before taking out the invisibility potion. Before I opened the door, I drank the potion and quickly left, managing not to wake anyone. I walked around quickly behind the Black-Briar Manor and hugged the wall until I got to the Riften gates. Luckily, there was a cart outside by the stables, so I paid the travel fare to get me back up to Windhelm.

 

**~**

 

I must have fallen asleep, because I felt something nudging me,

 

“Hey young lady, wake up.”

 

I sleepily got up and let him help me get down off the cart. I stretched and shivered as I felt a cold breeze hit me. Looked like it was about midday, so I started walking up to the Hold.

 

**~**

 

I entered the boys house, noticing nothing had really changed besides the upstairs showing signs that someone was living here now. The boy stepped out of a nearby room and gasped when he saw me,

 

"Well? Grelod the Kind. Is she... you know?"

 

“Yes, Grelod the Kind is dead.”

 

"Aha! I knew you could do it! I just knew it! I knew the Dark Brotherhood would save me! Here, just like I promised. This should fetch you a nice price. And thank you. Thank you again."

 

He hands me a large silver plate. It looks like it should be worth about 100 gold.

 

“Will you return to the orphanage now that it’s safe?”

 

"I'll go back to the Orphanage in a while. I'll give them time to, you know... clean up the mess."

 

As I headed towards the door, I took out the gold I had received for the bounty and placed it on a nearby shelf.

 

_That should cover what the plate is worth… he can use it to buy food and passage back to Riften._

And with that, I left for Whiterun.

 

**~**

 

I was halfway there by nightfall and had to stop at Nightgate Inn. There really wasn’t anyone there apart from a bard and the innkeeper. I was really hoping I had enough potion left for one more night. I rented a room and settled in for the night.

 

**~**

 

By morning, I was ready to get back to Whiterun but I needed to stock up on some food and the latest gossip. Maybe the innkeeper has heard of some newly posted bounties.

 

“Hey innkeeper, heard any rumors?”

 

"Been a murder, over in Riften. Some old lady who runs an orphanage. Those poor children must be heartbroken."

 

_Well that was fast._

I feigned ignorance, "You ask me, those kids in the orphanage are better off, now that old Grelod is dead."

 

As I headed outside, a courier approached me.

 

"I've been looking for you. Got something I'm supposed to deliver - your hands only…Let's see here...Yeah, got this note."

 

I took the note, confused.

 

_Who would know to find me here?_

 

"From who?"

 

"Don't know. Creepy fella, black robe. Couldn't see his face. Paid me a pretty sum to get that into your hands, though. Looks like that's it. Got to go."

As he left, I opened up the note and felt my heart drop.

 

All that was inside was a black hand and the words,

 

**_We Know._ **


	5. The Initiation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First, I'm sorry that this chapter is mostly dialogue.  
> Second, this chapter was delayed because it was mostly dialogue and I had a hard time figuring out the transitions.

The walk back to Whiterun took longer than it normally does but was uneventful, except for the strangely foreboding letter.  


_‘We Know’? Does whoever sent the note know about Grelod?_

I had no idea who sent the letter, or how they knew where I was, but now I was definitely on edge. I thought that killing her was for the best, if anything just so those kids would have a better life. I kept walking towards the Hold, lost in my thoughts when something hit my head, making me stumble back.

“Lyra, wake up!”

Rubbing my head, I looked at the person in front of me. It was the dragonborn accompanied by a tall nord and a woman with red hair.

“Jeez, what did you do that for?”  


“I kept calling for you, and you acted like you couldn’t hear me.”

“Sorry, I just was thinking about…stuff.”

“Uh huh, well do you want to come with us to the Bannered Mare?”

“Us?” “Oh, right,” she turns and introduces her companions to me. “This is Aela and Vilkas. They are part of the Companions of Jorrvaskr.”

“Hi…wait, these are the ones that rescued you, right?”

“Yeah. We just got back from clearing a Giant’s camp and we were going to have a few drinks. So did you want to join us?”

“Um…S-sure, I just need to change and drop off some stuff at your place.”

I walked back into Whiterun with them before stopping at Breezehome. After dumping my pack in the spare room, I dug around in the dresser for the dark blue tunic outfit I wore last time. I really needed to get this letter off my mind.

_Wait, what if she asks about the job? How do I tell her about the note?_

As I was changing my clothes, the note I received this morning fell out of my pocket. I picked it up and just for a moment, thought about throwing it away but decided to tuck in back into my pocket. I couldn’t risk someone else finding it. Once I finished changing and fixed my hair, I went back downstairs and left for the tavern.

 

~

The tavern was crowded tonight, but I managed to find the dragonborn and her friends at the table in the back. They had moved a couple of chairs from near the fire pit to the back table, it was just the dragonborn and Aela talking with each other. When my friend saw me, she got had gotten up and dragged me over to sit by her. Vilkas had come to the table a little while later with drinks for all of us. Her friends had asked me questions about what I did, how I knew the dragonborn, and things like that. It was a bit strange at first, being questioned like that, but I felt comfortable and the alcohol was certainly helping with that. We had spent the rest of the evening drinking and telling stories. It got to a point where we had to say goodbye to Aela and Vilkas before we headed back to Breezehome. After we got back, I had stumbled around the kitchen area for a snack, and managed to find a taffy treat, which was promptly snatched from my hand by my friend.  


“Heyyy, I was gonna eat thaat…”

“Well if you want it, you gotta get it from me!”

We both laughed as we stumbled around, playing keep-away. I managed to make her lose her balance and take the candy from her. I cheered triumphantly, holding my prize.

“Yeah, yeah, you win…Hey what’s this?”

I stopped with the candy in my mouth and watched her pick up a piece of crumpled paper.

_Wait…_

I felt for my pockets, checking to see if the note was still there, only to find it gone.

“Wait-“

“We Know…”

_Damn._

“Lyra, what is this?”

“I-it’s nothing.”

“Lyra, don’t lie to me,” she got up off the floor and held it in front of me. “Where did you get this?”

“I…It was given to me when I left Nightgate Inn. The courier didn’t know who gave it to him, just that it was someone in a hooded robe…”

She sighed and rubbed her temples, “Lyra, why didn’t you tell me earlier? I hate dealing with this stuff when I’ve been drinking.”

I bowed my head in shame, “I didn’t want to cause more trouble for you. You and Dro’fazir have always helped me out-“

“And we will continue to do so, whether you like it or not. Now, sit and tell me how your bounty went.”

We both sat by the fire, our buzz starting to wear off. I told her about the bounty, the kid that tried to summon assassins, the orphanage, and everything else leading up to the note.

“Let me get this straight: A kid assumed you were an assassin and offered a contract, which YOU ACCEPTED, to kill an old lady that was abusing the kids at the orphanage, then after killer her you receive an unsigned note suggesting that someone, presumably the Dark Brotherhood, knows you killed her?”

“…yeah.”

“And you thought you could just hide this from me?”

“I’m sorry!”

She sighed, “Well, there’s not much we can do about it now. You should probably sleep with a knife tonight, though.”

“What? Why?”

“Well, any organization would be a bit upset if a contract was stolen from them. If they don’t actively try to attack you, they might try to kidnap you.” “B-but I didn’t-“

“I know you didn’t really mean to take their contract, but they don’t know that, and since this group serves Sithis, they will probably have you pay back what you took…”  


“…What will I do if they kidnap me?”

She thought for a moment before getting up and walking to her alchemy nook. After a few minutes she comes back out with a little pouch. “Here, this won’t have too much of a smell, but Aela or Vilkas can track you if you get taken.”

I sniffed it, “What is this? It smells familiar…”

“Remember why La’rasha was always hungry?”

“Yeah, it was because she ate that dried greenish stuff.”

“Well, what you are holding is just like that, but a little stronger.”

With that, I tucked it in my pocket and we headed upstairs to bed. Before getting in bed, I did slip one of my smaller daggers in a little sheath and strapped it to my wrist, before pulling my sleeve back down over it.

_Well, let’s hope they decide I’m not worth the trouble…_

~

 

I woke up feeling groggy, but rested. I shivered as a cold draft hit me.

_Cold?_

I looked around and found myself on the floor of a shack that had seen better days.

“Sleep well?”

I looked to where I heard the voice. There was what appeared to be a woman in a black and red suit, sitting on top of a bookcase.

“Who are you?”

"Who I am really isn't as important as what I am. And what I am is an admirer. Of sorts."

“What? Where am I? Who are you?”

 "Does it matter? You're warm, dry... and still very much alive. That's more than can be said for old Grelod. Hmm?"

"I'll cut right to it. You murdered the old woman in the orphanage. You owe the Dark Brotherhood a kill. I've come to collect."

_So they were the ones that sent the note?_

“You know about that?”

 "Half of Skyrim knows. Old hag gets butchered in her own orphanage? Things like that tend to get around. Oh, but don't misunderstand. I'm not criticizing. It was a good kill. Old crone had it coming. And you saved a group of urchins, to boot. Ah, but there is a slight... problem.""

“I don't think I like where this is going...”

"You see, that little Aretino boy was looking for the Dark Brotherhood. For me, and my associates. Grelod the Kind was, by all rights, a Dark Brotherhood contract. A kill... that you stole. A kill you must repay."

“You want me to murder someone else? Who?”

 "Well now. Funny you should ask. If you turn around…” she gestures behind me, “…you'll notice my guests. I've collected them from... well, that's not really important. The here and now. That's what matters. You see, there's a contract out on one of them, and that person can't leave this room alive. But... which one? Go on, see if you can figure it out. Make your choice. Make your kill, I just want to observe... and admire."

It looked like there was no getting out of this.

_I don’t want to kill someone that doesn’t deserve it but if I don’t, what’s to stop this strange woman from taking my life instead?_

I carefully walked to each one and questioned them, hoping whatever information they gave me would help me determine who placed a contract on them. The first one I spoke to looked like a mercenary.

“Who are you?”

"My name is Fultheim. I'm a soldier. Well, mercenary, really. You know, a... a sellsword. I've lived in Skyrim all my life. That's all! I'm a nobody, really. So can't you just let me go?"

“Would someone pay to have you killed?”

 "What? Oh gods, I don't want to die..."

“Shhh... Don't be afraid. You can tell me.”

 "Okay, well... I guess it's possible. I've been selling my sword arm for years now. Killed a lot of people. Could be someone wanted revenge. But... But you're not going to kill me. Right?"

Next, I spoke to the woman. A nord from the looks of her.

"You, woman, same question."

"None of your damned business who I am! If you're going to kill me, just do it already! As Mara is my witness, if I didn't have this hood on right now I would spit right in your face..."

"Would someone pay to have you killed?"

"Excuse me? What kind of question is that?"

I sighed, "It's all right. Just tell me what I need to know."

"I'm a woman living in Skyrim with six children and no husband. I don't have the time or patience to be "nice." Do some people look down on me? Have I made some enemies? You're damn right."

The last was a Khajiit, and a well-dressed one at that.

"Who are you?"

 "Ahhh... Vasha, at your service, Obtainer of goods, taker of lives, and defiler of daughters. Have you not heard of me? Perhaps I will have my people carve my name in your corpse as a reminder."

"Would someone pay to have you killed?"

"Me? Ha! Are you serious?"

"Come on, you can tell me. We're all friends here. "

"He he he he he he he. The real question is, 'Would someone pay to have me killed... again?' A day goes by without someone trying to gut me in the street, I get disappointed."

After considering my options, it seems the most likely candidate is Vasha. If that woman is truly taking care of six kids by herself, I can’t really blame her for her attitude. If I kill her, I would leave those kids without anyone to care for them, and I don’t want to add more orphans to the world. That life can be lonely. The mercenary is a possibility, but it’s hard to justify killing him if he was only following orders, right?

I walked over behind Vasha, as I unsheathed my dagger that was hidden in my sleeve.

_Am I making the right choice?_

I gently placed one hand under his chin, tilting his head up.

_No going back._

I quickly slid the dagger across his throat, and watched as his blood gushed out, soaking his clothes. He made a noise, similar to that of someone drowning before lifelessly falling over to the side.

"The conniving Khajiit. Cat like that was sure to have enemies. It's no wonder you chose him."

I stepped out in front of the body, towards her.

“So who was it? Who had the contract?”

 "Oh. No, no, no. Don't you understand? Guilt, innocence, right, wrong.... Irrelevant. What matters is I ordered you to kill someone, and you obeyed."

"So... I'm free to go?"

 "Of course. And you've repaid your debt, in full.” She jumped down from the bookshelf, walked towards me and placed something in my hand. “Here's the key to the shack. But why stop here? I say we take our relationship to the next level. I would like to officially extend to you an invitation to join my Family. The Dark Brotherhood. In the southwest reaches of Skyrim, in the Pine Forest, you'll find the entrance to our Sanctuary. It's just beneath the road, hidden from view. When questioned by the Black Door, answer with the correct passphrase: "Silence, my brother." Then you're in. And your new life begins. I'll see you at home."

With that, I unlocked the door and left the shack, finding myself in a frozen marsh... just outside of Solitude. I could see the Blue palace from here.

_Wait, Solitude?? That’s at least two days from Whiterun! If that woman brought me here, how did she keep me asleep for that long??_

A cold wind blew and sent a shiver through me. I was still wearing my tunic outfit, so my protection from the elements was limited. I needed either to make my way to the stables outside of Solitude or Morthal, or start walking in the hopes that my friend and her companions might find me. With the sun setting, I started walking south.

_She could have at least offered to bring me back to Whiterun…_

~

 

It was dark by the time I got to Morthal. I was cold and wet from walking through deep puddles. I was also very hungry, but I had no money on me to afford food at the Moorside Inn. As I was walking around, I managed to bump into someone and fall right into the snow.

“What the…Lyra!”

I looked up and saw my friend and Vilkas.

“B-bout time you found me…”

She helped me up hugged me tight. She was warm, so I didn’t fight it.

“Thank the gods we found you! We managed to track you up here, but it’s difficult in this weather.”

“C-can we go home now? I’m f-freezing and hungry…”

She threw her cloak around me and walked us just outside of Morthal where a cart was waiting. Once she paid the driver, we climbed on and headed back to Whiterun.

_I’ve killed a man that may have been innocent and have been invited to join the assassins I stole a contract from… what have I gotten myself into this time?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the dried greenish stuff mentioned can be thought of as weed xD


	6. Adoption

I must have fallen asleep on the ride home, because I found myself tucked in bed. Feeling hungry, I got up and went downstairs. My friend was doing something in the kitchen area and Vilkas was stirring the pot over the fire pit.

“Sleep well, kid?”

“How long was I asleep?”

“Quite a while. It’s about midday I think.”

My friend then walks over with some cut vegetables and puts them in the pot. “I didn’t know what you went through, so I let you sleep. How are you feeling?”

“Fine, I think…”

“Good, because you are going to tell me what happened.”

I groaned and sat in the chair by the fire. I really didn’t want to tell them what happened in the shack. I don’t need to give her more stress…

“I would rather forget about what happened.”

“Nope. You are not getting out of this.”

I groaned again, “Vilkas, back me up here.”

He sighed, “By the-…pup, did you want to talk about what happened at Northwatch keep right after it happened? Just let her be.”

My friend glared at him, probably a little mad that he took my side. She sighed, rubbing her temples, “fine, if you really don’t want to talk about it, I won’t push you.”

~

 

We didn’t talk about it for the rest of the day. Instead, we had lunch and went shopping before they left for a job. While sitting around the house, I kept thinking about the assassins offer. On the one hand, I wouldn’t have to always be on the move. On the other hand, I could end up putting them in danger with my night terrors.

_I can’t stay here for much longer. I keep causing trouble for her and her friends…_

With that, I packed what little I had, along with a few of the sleeping potions and the recipe for them. Before leaving, I wrote my friend a note:

 

_Thank you for always looking out for me, but I do not wish to cause you any more trouble. It will be better for me to go back to traveling on my own. If you need to get in touch with me, you can send word to Zaria at Grave Concoctions as I will periodically pass through there._

_Your friend, Lyra_

After leaving the note on her bed, I left Whiterun.

 

~

 

It was still very early in the morning by the time I got to Falkreath, early enough that none of the shops were open yet. I decided to get some food at Dead Man’s Drink and kill time until the shops were open. After a couple hours, I went to Grave Concoctions to speak with Zaria. She greeted me as I entered the shop.

“Well, if it isn’t Lyra! I haven’t seen you around here in a while. You still traveling with that caravan?”

“No, I decided it was time to go off on my own.”

“Ah, well do you need me to mix anything up for you?”

“Not today, actually I was hoping you could do me a favor.” “What did you need?”

“I plan on being around the area for a while, and I was hoping you could take any letters for me?”

“I don’t see why not…”

“Thanks Zaria, I have an appointment to keep but I will stop by again soon.”

“May Arkay bless you, Lyra.”

With that settled, I left to look for the Dark Brotherhood sanctuary.

~

 

When she said it was hidden, she meant it. I must have walked past it 3 times. There was a barely treaded footpath off the side of the road that lead to a small pool, and just to the left of it was a black stone door with a skull on it. I walked up to it and was about to knock when a breathy voice spoke,

"What is the music of life?"

I jumped back, startled.

_The music of life? Didn’t she say there was a password?_

I searched my memories of that night and remembered the phrase, “Silence, my brother.”

The door replied with, “Welcome home.” As it scraped open. As I walked inside, I was greeted by a woman.

"Ah, at last! I hope you found the place all right."

“Had a little trouble…So what happens now?”

 "Well, what happens now is you start your new life in the Dark Brotherhood. You're part of the Family, after all. This, as you can see, is our Sanctuary. You won't find a safer place in all of Skyrim. So get comfortable."

“I know a bit of the history of the Dark Brotherhood and it’s ties to the Morag Tong, but I do have some questions. Are there any rules I should be aware of?”

"Used to be the Dark Brotherhood was bound by Five Tenets, but we stopped following those years ago. All those rules, all that discipline, and look where the Dark Brotherhood ended up. We're the last of our kind, and we live the way we see fit. Bottom line - respect your Family. Do that, and everything else will fall into place."

“How do you hear about you contracts?”

 "They used to come from the Night Mother. Potential clients would perform the Black Sacrament, and she would hear their prayers. The Night Mother would communicate this to the Listener, who would then dispatch a Speaker to arrange the contract with the client. But that was a long time ago. There hasn't been a Listener in years, not since Cyrodiil was overrun in the war with the Thalmor. But people don't know that. So they still perform the ritual... and we eventually hear about it. When someone wants us, we find out."

“Who is the Night Mother? I’ve read conflicting accounts that disagree on her origins.”

"The Unholy Matron, the Shrouded Lady, the Mistress of the Void. She goes by many names. Ages past, Sithis gave a woman five children. She killed them to win his favor, thus becoming the Night Mother. If you believe that sort of thing. Today, she's... well, she's a skeleton. An ancient corpse. But, more importantly, a corpse that's being brought to this Sanctuary by her Keeper."

“Wait, the Night Mother is being brought here?”

 "Yes. A few months ago I received word from the Night Mother's Keeper that he had arrived in Skyrim from Cyrodiil. The Night Mother's crypt, in Bravil, was destroyed. A result of the chaos caused by the war with the Thalmor. That forced a relocation. I don't know where the Keeper has been these past few months, but I recently received another letter. He's bringing the Night Mother here. Soon.”

“Okay, what do I do next?”

“I’m working on getting a contract for you In the meantime, introduce yourself to your new Family members. They're all very eager to meet you."

As I walked past her and down the stairs, I came to a large cavern-like room with a small waterfall and a pool off to the side. There were several people there, all talking with each other…

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

"Ha ha ha ha! Again! Again! Do the part where he tries to buy you some candy."

"Okay, okay. Wait. Here we go. "Ooh, you are such a pretty little girl. Would the sweetie like a sweetie? Oh yes, how about some chocolate?" Oh yes, please, kind sir. My mama and papa left me all alone, and I'm so very hungry. I know a shortcut to the candy shop. Through this alley. Oh ya, very good. Very good. My it is dark down here. Oh, but you are so beautiful. Such a lovely smile. Your teeth... your teeth! No! Aggghh!!"

"Oh Babette, but you are so wicked."

"What about you, Festus? How did that last contract turn out?"

"Oh, yes, please, old man. Regale us with your tales of wizardry..."

"Ah, the young and stupid. Always mocking the experienced and brilliant. My contract went very well, I'll have you know. Tried a new spell. Little something I've been working on in my spare time. Came "this" close to turning that priest inside out. Damned messy."

"And what of your latest, Arnbjorn. Something about a Khajiit? Merchant was it?"

 "Oh, a big doggy chasing a little kitty! How adorable!"

Several people laughed, "I am not adorable, it was not funny, and he wasn't a merchant. He was a Khajiit monk, a master of the Whispering Fang style. But now he's dead... and I have a new loincloth."

 

This ‘family’ takes all kinds of people, I guess. The first person I spoke to dressed differently from the others, and by the looks of it, a redguard.

"So you're the newest member of our dwindling, dysfunctional little Family. I've heard quite a bit about you."

“Nice to meet you. My name is-”

"Save the niceties for now. I have no intention of getting invested in someone who may be dead tomorrow. If you're still breathing in a few weeks, I'm sure we'll be the best of friends."

"Oh…Astrid said you'd have some work for me?"

"Did she, now? Well, as it turns out, there are a few lingering contracts we haven't had the chance to complete just yet. And more, dribbling in from time to time. I'll assign them to you as they become available. To be completed at your leisure.”

"Sounds simple enough."

"It is. These aren't particularly glamorous assassinations, I'll be honest. Don't pay much, either. But they'll keep you busy. Just do them as you're able. There's no real time limit - the targets aren't going anywhere. You can turn each one in as it's completed, or wait and turn in the whole group when all the targets have been eliminated. Whichever works for you."

"I will come back after I meet the rest of the family."

 

Looking around, I spotted a few other members, an old man, a tall scary-looking nord, and an argonian. Deciding the latter would be the next person I talk to, I approached him.

"Welcome, sister. Welcome to our sanctuary. You have made the right choice, joining us, I assure you."

“Hello. Astrid told me to introduce myself to everyone. Have you been here a long time?”

"Me, I have been part of the Dark Brotherhood from the day I first hatched. I am a Shadowscale, you see. Born under the sign of the Shadow."

“Shadowscales? I’ve heard a little about them.”

 "The Shadowscales are all but forgotten. An ancient tradition, from another time."

“Nice talking with you.”

 

Next was the scary nord.

"Well, well. It's raw meat. Oh, my beautiful wife has told me all about you."

_Well that is a bit shocking._

“That’s not a very nice thing to call someone you just met.”

"I'll give you a week before end up dead in a ditch."

“Hey, she told me to introduce myself to everyone. What can you tell me about yourself?”

 "Look. If you're trying to get to know me - don't. I don't like you, and I never well. It's nothing personal. But... My wife trusts you, and I trust her judgement. So you can't be all bad. Here's all you need to know: I'm a werewolf. I like killing things. I love Astrid. I hate annoying people. And the color blue gives me a headache."

_Now that just hurt._

I didn’t bother saying anything after that and walked away. This ‘family’ doesn’t feel as welcoming as I thought it would… maybe I made a bad choice.

Walking around, I found the old man practicing destruction spells.

 

“Hello-“

"Yes, yes, you're the new Family member. Let's make this easy - consider me the cranky old uncle nobody talks to. You go your way, I'll go mine."

“…Well nice to meet you, too.”

"Hmph."

“What can you tell me about yourself?”

 "Hmph. I like to say I was born with a wand in my hand. Well, not literally - you can see how painful that would have been for mother. But I was a prodigy! Casting spells by one, complexing complex incantations by three. Resurrecting corpses by seven! Ha! When I was thirteen I accidentally burned down the family home. A bit of lightning gone awry. Ah, but soon after I mastered my gifts. Completely. I went on to teach at the College - left after two years. Too simple. Too safe. None of them truly understood the glory of the Destruction school..."

“I don’t mean to interrupt, but do we have someone that specializes in alchemy?”

“"Talk to Babette about potions. She's the creepy little girl - can't miss her."

“Thanks. Nice talking to you.”

"Yeah, yeah. Goodbye, kill lots of people, Hail Sithis, and all that."

 

I find it hard to believe that a little girl would be an alchemist, and harder still that she’s a member of the Dark Brotherhood. I remembered that I still had the recipe for the sleeping potions my friend made, and I am hoping that she might know how to improve it.

I found her talking to another dark elf.

"There you are! Astrid's told me all about you. Heard she pulled the ole' "Choose your victim" gag with you. Ah, I love that one..."

_So she’s done that before?_

“It's nice to meet you, Babette. My name is Lyra.”

"You're going to love it here. We have a lot of fun, and we look out for each other. Just like any family."

“What can you tell me about yourself?”

"I'm just a little girl! The Dark Brotherhood killed my mama and papa, and then they took me captive! Please, please help me! Rather convincing, don't you think? In truth, I'm no more a little girl than you are. I was once, of course. Three hundred years ago. Vampirism tends to keep one remarkably... fresh.”

“Interesting. I don’t think I’ve ever really met a vampire before…”

"New sister. May I offer my most sincere welcome to our Family."

“It's nice to meet you, Gabriella.“

"You certainly have a strange energy about you. I look forward to following your progress."

“What can you tell me about yourself?”

 "What a curious question. Well, I enjoy moonlit nights, taking long walks on the beach, knitting and unicorns. In fact, I once took a seaside stroll, on a moonlit night, and discovered a unicorn... which I proceeded to stab in the throat with a crochet needle. I'm a woman of refined, yet simple tastes."

Babette yawned, “well girls, it’s time for me to turn in. I will see you all later.”

“Goodnight dear sister.”

_Darn, I had hoped she could help me with the potion._

“How are you getting settled?”

“…not well, I’m afraid. This family does not feel as welcoming as I was lead to believe. I think you and Babette are the only ones that have really welcomed me.”

“That’s just because you are new, dear sister. Things like this take time. Here, let me show you where you will be sleeping.”

As I followed her through the sanctuary, I really started to feel like I made a mistake coming here.

“Ah, here we are…”

The room was pretty sparse, but it was a shared sleeping space. Not exactly an ideal arraignment considering my night terrors…

I thanked Gabriella, put my pack down, and left to get my contracts from Nazir.

"I'm ready for the first set of contracts."

"Well then, let's get started. I've got three available right now. Your targets are the beggar Narfi, an ex-miller named Ennodius Papius, and Beitild, a mine boss. When you've completed all those, we'll see if I might have some more."

 

With that, I left to start my work. Maybe they will change their minds about me when I finish the contracts.


	7. Fancy Meeting You Here...

I make my way back to the shops and buy some food before looking at where my contracts are located.

_Dawnstar, Ivarstead, and Windhelm?? No wonder no one wanted these contracts… They are either on the other side of Skyrim, or on the other side of a really big mountain!_

I decided that the first place to go would be Dawnstar, then hit Windhelm and Ivarstead to save on time. The only issue is getting back to the sanctuary from Ivarstead. I can either pass through Helgen or go around the mountain to Whiterun and take a cart back to Falkreath. Since Helgen was hit by that dragon, the ruins have been taken over by bandits. Taking out a few highwaymen is manageable, but I don’t think I can take out an entire bandit group myself. On the other hand, I really don’t want to chance running into my friend again so soon. She doesn’t need to know I’m with the Dark Brotherhood now.

 

**~**

I arrived in Dawnstar just after midnight. It didn’t take long to find her house, but I waited by her house, out of sight to see how often the guards patrolled. After an hour, I crept up the railing to get to the door, and picked the lock. Once inside, I quietly crept over to her bed. I unsheathed my dagger and took a piece of cloth out from my pocket. I quickly placed the cloth over her mouth to muffle her screams and stabbed her in the chest. She fought for only a few moments before going limp. I used the cloth to clean off my blade before putting it away and throwing the cloth in the fire. I then took this time to take any food that was still good and any gold I could find, since she wouldn’t be needing it anymore. Once I made sure the coast was clear, I headed towards the water to find the ferryman. Next stop was Windhelm.

 

**~**

I dozed off on the boat ride, but not enough to feel refreshed. Too cold for that. I was not looking forward to walking through Windhelm again, since they seem to really dislike dunmer, but it was either that or scale the large stone walls to get to the bridge.

_I really hate the snow…_

Snow was slippery, cold, and wet once it seeped into your clothes. I walked along the path just past the mill, near where Ennodius Papius’ camp was supposed to be. Not really having the option to kill him like the last, I decided to use the snow to my advantage. When I was sure he was nearby, I tripped myself, making it look like I lost my footing in the snow. I cried as I hit the ground and tried to sound as pathetic as possible in the hopes that he would help me. Sure enough, he did come over to see if I was okay. I pleaded with him to help me up. He was unsure at first, but reluctantly helped me up anyway. I persuaded him to take me over by the water. When it comes to women, men will believe two things; that she is helpless and weak, and that she finds him attractive. I was neither, but sometimes you have to play the part to get what you need. Once I had him near the water, I discreetly took out my dagger. Pretending to lose my balance, I pulled him down with me and shoved the blade into him.

“Poor Ennodius, didn’t mother tell you never to talk to strangers?”

Like the Mine boss, he didn’t last long. I managed to push him off me and pull out my dagger. I cleaned off my blade using some snow and a part of his tunic before putting it away. I carefully dragged his body over to his tent and placed him in the bedroll. I cleaned off whatever blood got on me as best I could before heading back to Windhelm. There was no way I was getting to Ivarstead today.

 

**~**

After spending the rest of the day sleeping at the inn, I decided to kill some time browsing the shops and getting a new bow. I really wanted an ebony bow, but I didn’t have enough to purchase one, so I settled with a Nordic bow and a handful of arrows. I used what I had left to purchase a travelers cloak with a hood to replace the one I left…

_The cloak I left at the inn at Ivarstead…shit._

I almost forgot about that night. Hopefully they have forgotten about me by now. After a few hours, I left for Ivarstead.

 

**~**

 

It was evening by the time I got to Ivarstead. Crossing the stone bridge, I tried to get a good vantage point of the village. I wasn’t going to risk walking around and getting caught, so a ranged approach was necessary. I had heard about Narfi from the last time I was here. Apparently he went crazy after his sister disappeared about a year ago and spends his time hanging around the ruins of his old family house. That is exactly where I found him, wondering around and mumbling to himself. I felt bad for him, but it was unlikely that he would ever be normal again.

I dug around in my bag and found some frostbite venom and used it to coat the arrow head. I wanted this to be a one-shot, painless kill. I got my bow ready and waited until I had a clear shot.

_Exhale…_

I drew my bow back,

_Inhale…_

Lined up the shot,

_And hold…_

And fired.

Right through the back of his head. I wanted to retrieve the arrow, but I didn’t want to risk being seen. I managed to get down from my perch, and sneak behind the inn to get the bridge heading south. Now I just needed to get back to the sanctuary…

 

**~**

I felt exhausted. I had to travel through Helgen and fight through a small group of bandits. One of the archers I missed got me right in the shoulder. I managed to brake off the shaft of the arrow, but the head was still stuck and I needed help getting it out. I managed to find some scrap cloth to fix around it to keep it in place and stop the bleeding. The weapons and armor these bandits had were junk, but they had some potions and gold on them so it wasn’t a complete loss. The rest of the walk back to the sanctuary was uneventful, but inside…

"But the Night Mother is mother to all! It is her voice we follow! Her will! Would you dare risk disobedience? And surely... punishment?"

"Keep talking, little man, and we'll see who gets "punished.""

"Oh, be quiet you great lumbering lapdog. The man has had a long journey. You can at least be civil. Mister Cicero, I for one am delighted you and the Night Mother have arrived. Your presence here signals a welcome return to tradition."

"Oh, what a kind and wise wizard you are. Sure to earn our Lady's favor."

"You and the Night Mother are of course welcome here, Cicero. And you will be afforded the respect deserving of your position as Keeper. Understood... husband?"

"Hmph."

"Oh, yes yes yes! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"But make no mistake. I am the leader of this Sanctuary. My word is law. Are we clear on that point?"

"Oh yes, mistress. Perfectly! You're the boss."

_Of course, I go on the ridiculous jobs and miss all the fun…_

Once I make me why into the main room, Astrid stops me.

“Good, you’re back. As you see, the keeper I spoke about before is here now.”

“Does this mean change for us?”

"Very little. You have my word on that. The Night Mother represents a chapter in the Dark Brotherhood's history that has long since been closed. Today we live by our own rules. We're the last Sanctuary in all of Tamriel, and only by forgoing the old ways have we survived for so long. My only worry is her "Keeper." I'm not sure what Cicero expects to gain by bringing the Night Mother here, but he'll soon learn this is my Sanctuary."

This may be her sanctuary, but there would be no Dark Brotherhood with the Night Mother. I decided to greet the keeper, since I am rather late to the party.

_Hey, haven’t I seen that outfit before?_

“Hel-“

"Wait, oh wait. I know you! Yes, yes. From the road! Cicero never forgets a face."

“You're the man with the wagon! Transporting his mother... “

"I am! I am! But not just my mother. Our mother, hmm? The Night Mother! Oh yes! And you helped me! You helped poor Cicero! You talked to Loreius, got him to fix my wheel! Oh, you may have pleased me, but you have surely pleased the Night Mother. And our mother, she will never forget."

“Well it’s nice to meet you again. I would have never expected to see you again, here of all places…”

“So polite! So nice! Cicero likes you. The Night Mother is sure to like you too. Oh, we're going to be fast friends. Fast friends."

I chuckled, “Well Keeper, if we are going to be friends, can I ask some questions?”

"Cicero can talk for a moment. Just a moment. Then Mother must be... tended to."

“Why did you come to the Sanctuary?”

"The Night Mother's crypt in Bravil was... desecrated. The Imperial Province is ravaged by strife. Nowhere there is safe, at present. So Cicero brought our Lady to her new home. Here! This is the only Sanctuary left in all of Skyrim, you see. Such was my... honor. As Keeper."

“That makes sense. It would be best to keep her close to what remains of her followers... What are the duties of a Keeper?”

"Oh, Cicero takes care of our Lady's body. Oils it, preserves it, keeps it safe. Makes sure nobody disrespects our Matron's coffin."

“What can you tell me about yourself?”

"Me? Oh, Cicero is just the Keeper! I... keep! I look after our matron, you see. The Night Mother. I keep her clean, and protected, and happy... But I am not the Listener. Oh no. There is no Listener. Not yet! But some day, some day, some day I pray, that one will come to hear her say... The words."

_‘The words’? I don’t remember reading anything about that._

“What words?”

He tutted, “That is a secret only for Cicero.”

I pouted jokingly, “Aw, but now I want to know!”

“The sweet Lyra shouldn’t pout, much better to smile!”

 

That man had caught me off guard again with his flattery. I quickly said m goodbyes and found Babette.

“Babette, can you help me with something?”

“Sure, what did you need?”

I showed her my shoulder, “can you help me get this out and give me something to stop the infection? It’s starting to burn…”

She sighed, “Alright, sit over there so I can reach it and I’ll do what I can.”

It took a while, considering I kept moving away from the pain and Babette was getting frustrated with me.

“It wouldn’t have taken so long if you held still. You are like a child.”

“If I was a child, I wouldn’t be here… and I am not normally in the habit of being shot at. I managed to take care of three jobs, all of the other side of Skyrim within three days and managed not to freeze my butt off or get killed. I should get a little credit, considering how many of you don’t expect me to last a week…”

“People in this line of work don’t live for very long…unless you are a vampire.”

She finished cleaning my wound, and gave me a small health potion before heading off to bed. I talked to Nazir and got my payment before following suit. I was exhausted, sore, and in need of a bath, but I was too tired to care. I managed to change out of my armor before crawling into bed.

Maybe tomorrow would be better…

 

 

**~Dream Start~**

I felt so heavy. I saw myself chained to the floor of a prison cell. Formless voices surrounded me.

_“Murderer!”_

_No…_

_“Ieeee!”_

_Stop it._

_“You killed him!”_

_I didn’t mean to…_

_“It’s all your fault…”_

I closed my eyes and tried to cover my ears but I couldn’t block out the sound.

_Someone make it stop._

I felt my surroundings fade away and when I opened my eyes, I found myself floating in a void.

_“Child…”_

Without thinking, I followed the strange voice.

_“Come, child…”_

I walked up to the shadowy form and felt it embrace me. It felt cool but not cold.

_“Sleep, my child…”_

I closed my eyes and felt myself being picked up

**~Dream End~**

I woke up and found myself in a bigger bed, in a different room.

_Where am I?_

“Ah, the pretty Lyra is awake!”

Startled, I looked next to me and saw the Keeper sitting right beside me.

“K-keeper! What are you doing??”

He had a bemused look on his face and tilted his head to the side, “Does our sweet sister not remember?”

“…Remember what?”

“Cicero found our dear sister standing in front of our unholy matron, asleep on her feet! Cicero tried to wake Lyra up, but couldn’t. So Cicero put Lyra in his bed.”

“Y-your bed?” I quickly jumped out of the bed.

“Do not worry! Cicero would never harm his sister…well, not intentionally.”

At this point I was blushing.

“Wait, were you here the entire time?”

“Well yes! This is Cicero’s room, after all. Lyra looked so peaceful, and Cicero didn’t want to disturb her sleep, so humble Cicero kept watch over the Night Mother and Lyra.”

My ears burned. I didn’t know which was more embarrassing: sleeping in his room, or the fact that he watched me sleep.

“Well t-thank you Keeper for watching out for me…”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, too formal. Lyra may use Cicero’s name, not Cicero’s title.”

“Okay…Thank you Cicero.”

 

I quickly left and went back to my own room, but not before bumping into Astrid.

“Oh there you are. I’ve been looking for… are you okay? You look a little flushed”

“Y-yes I’m fine. Did you need something?”

“Hmm, yes. Go see my husband about getting fitted for some shrouded armor, then come see me when you are done. I have a contract ready for you.”

“Very well…”

 

I managed to find that broody nord, not really feeling comfortable being around him.

“What do you want, tidbit?”

“Rude. Astrid said to see you about getting fitted for some armor.”

“Hmf, fine. Stand there and be still.”

I tried my best to be still while he took measurements, despite being very uncomfortable with his proximity.

“You’re pretty curvy for an elf.”

“I’m told my mother was an imperial…”

He didn’t say anything else until he was done.

“I’ll let you know when it’s ready.”

 

With that, I left to go see Astrid. She was leaning over a table with a map of skyrim on it.

“You said you have a contract for me?”

"I do indeed. You must go to the city of Markarth, and speak with the apothecary's assistant. You'll probably find her in The Hag's Cure, when the shop is open. The girl's been running her mouth, wants an ex-lover killed. She's apparently performed the Black Sacrament. Her name is Muiri. I need you to talk to her, set up the contract, and carry it out."

“Anything else?”

"Just do whatever the contact wishes. Be professional, represent us well, and get the job done. Since it's your first contract, I'll let you keep whatever Muiri pays. She'll be generous, I'm sure. They always are."

“Should I wait till my armor is done?”

“Yes, that should be fine.”

“Very well.”

With that I left and headed for the dining area. All I could do now is wait. This will be my first real contract and I didn’t want to mess it up.

 

“Good evening, sister.”

“Good evening, Babette.”

She smirked, “So…did you sleep well?”

“…Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I saw someone leave our Keeper’s room looking quite flustered earlier…”

“N-nothing happened!”

_This can’t get any worse…_

Gabriella walked into the room and greeted us, “Sister, were you okay last night?”

_I was wrong._

“What do you mean?”

“You seemed like you were having a nightmare and I couldn’t wake you. I left to get you something and when I came back, you were gone.”

I sat down and rubbed my head, trying to remember.

“I…think I was having a bad dream, but I can’t remember. I do tend to sleepwalk when I’m stressed…”

Babette chimed in, “You don’t remember anything?”

“I…think I remember someone calling me…”

“Someone called out to you?”

“Yeah, and Cicero said he found me in front of the Night Mothers coffin.

Babette and Gabriella looked at each other for a moment.

“Sister, I wouldn’t tell anyone else about this.”

“What? Why?”

 

Gabriella placed some food in front of me, “Well, a few of our brothers and sisters are not exactly overjoyed by the recent changes around here, and telling people about this may cause some problems…” and with that, she said goodnight and left.

 

_Why would a dream cause problems?_

 

I didn’t argue further, but I looked back to where Gabriella left, and I could have sworn that someone was standing in the doorway.


	8. Can’t Catch a Break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lyra's first real contract

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am finally back!  
> I did not get to work on this when I wanted to because of school, but now that I have finally finished my Masters, I have more time to work on getting this story finished.

After collecting my armor from Arnbjorn, I packed my things and headed out on my first real contract. With what happened this morning, I was a bit too embarrassed to talk to anyone, especially Cicero.

I didn’t especially feel like walking all the way to Markarth, so I hired a carriage to take me there. This gave me a bit of free time to figure out what I could say to my Dragonborn friend when they wrote to me.

 

_she’s probably going to be a bit upset with me for running off again, but it’s not like I can just say ‘hey, you know that group that kidnapped me? They invited me to join their organization of assassins. Oh, and they serve the Daedric lord Sithis.’ Yeah, that will go over well…_

**~In Markarth~**

It was late at night by the time I got to the hold… Or early in the morning. I had dozed off in the carriage on the way there, so time was a bit fuzzy. When I had stepped through the gates, I was a bit in awe. I had made an effort to avoid this place when I could because of all the rumors I heard of caravans getting raided and random murders. Riften seemed cozy and tame in comparison.

The tall stone buildings and mechanical lights had distracted me from my task, as I began to wonder around the narrow streets. After getting turned around a few times, I managed to find the alchemist shop, and pulled up my mask before entering.

The shop interior had some patterns carved into the stone, and dwarven lights scattered around. it was a decent sized shop, at least twice the size of the ones you would find in Falkreath or Whiterun. The woman behind the counter looked much older, and a little scary, but her tone was quite nice when she addressed me,

 

"Hello dear, the Hag's Cure is here for all your discreet needs..."

"The 'Hag's Cure?' that’s a unique name..."

"Comes with living to a ripe old age, people start thinking there’s something magical about you. Then, the insults. Still, a little knowledge of plants and potions can get you by. Not that anyone likes to admit buying things from you. See? I even have a little potion for the Steward. Mind handing it over to him? Just say it should solve that problem he has."

I was a bit hesitant to accept this, but she might give me a discount on supplies later if I help her.

"That’s a little more than I need to know, but uh, sure. I’ll make sure he gets it."

"Thank you."

“Oh, by the way, is there a woman named Muiri here?”

“My assistant? Yes, she should be just up the stairs behind you. Now, you let me know if you need a cure…or anything else.”

“Thank you.”

 

I walked up the stairs behind me, leading to a sleeping area, and found Muiri asleep. I gently prodded her until she awoke.

“Huh? Who is it? Why are you looking at me like that?”

I used the most serious tone I could muster, “The Dark Brotherhood has come, Muiri.”

"The dark brotherh... oh. Oh! I... my goodness, you’re really here! The black sacrament. It actually worked?"

"Obviously. Now tell me what you need."

"What I need? What I need is for Alain Dufont to die! I want him hunted down and murdered like the dog he is!"

"I’ll need more to go on than that..."

"I didn’t know it when we were... with each other... but Alain is actually the leader of a band of cutthroats. Bandits. They’re holed up in some old dwarven ruin - Raldbthar. It’s near Windhelm. They use it as their base. It’s where they stage their raids. I want you to go to that ruin, find Alain Dufont, and kill him. I don’t care about his friends. Do whatever you want with them. But Alain has to die!"

_So she’s just a jilted lover looking for revenge? Seems a bit extreme…_

"It will be done."

"Excellent. Once Alain is dead, I'll pay you. In gold. I’ve saved up a bit. I hope that'll do..." she fidgets, something else clearly on her mind.

"But, well... there is one more thing. If you’re interested?"

 

_Of course there is…_

 

"I’m listening."

"If you can... I want you to kill someone else, as well. You don’t have to -- not as part of our deal, but if you do... I'll pay you even more."

"It’s Nilsine Shatter-Shield, in Windhelm. If Nilsine dies, too... I’ll make it worth your while."

"Very well. Is there anything else?"

"I planned to kill Alain myself, you know. Nilsine, too... but I lost my nerve. I even brewed a special poison, lotus extract. Maybe you could use it? Just coat your weapon with it, then... you get the idea."

I accepted the two small bottles of poison. The request for the additional target does have me curious…

"I might regret asking, but... why do you want Alain dead?"

"I went to Windhelm to see the shatter-shields. They were old and dear friends, and... In mourning. Friga was killed recently. Murdered... I met Alain in the tavern, while I was... drinking my sadness away. He was handsome, and charming. He said I was the 'beautiful lily' of his dreams. Alain made all the pain just... go away. But it was all lies! Alain used me. He ruined my name, destroyed my friendship with the shatter-shields..."

"I see..."

"Do you know why Alain was in Windhelm? He heard about Friga's murder. He wanted to befriend the family, in their grief... and rob them blind. Alain used me to get close to my friends, and now they all think I’m some kind of... monster. Alain Dufont took my life, and now I’m taking his."

 

_I see. So he just used her to get to his mark._

 

"...and Nilsine shatter-shield? Why must she die?"

"Don’t you see? I was like a daughter to tova. A sister to Nilsine and Friga... but the family refuses to believe my innocence, no matter what I say. Couldn’t they understand that I was used? That I was grieving for Friga, too? No... They treated me like garbage, threw me away. With Nilsine dead, maybe then tova will realize what she’s lost, hmm? Maybe then shell see that I was just as much a daughter as the others. And if not, may she drown in her own tears."

"I shall take my leave, then."

 

I left that shop feeling a bit conflicted. Sure the guy deserves it, but I’m not sure if this Nilsine does. However I feel, I’ve already accepted the contract.

Stepping outside the city, I took a look at my map. The ruin where Alain is hiding isn’t far from Uttering Hills Cave, so I can travel to Windhelm and make it there in a few hours. Since it would take too long to walk from one side of Skyrim to the other, I opted to take a carriage again.

 

_I’m going to be spending more time on the road then actually doing the contract… at least I will have time to figure out a plan._

 

**~A few days later~**

 

It was still early in the day when I arrived at Windhelm. I’ve never liked the cold, and was thankful that I remembered to bring my fur cloak. Finding the dwarven ruin wasn’t hard… the worst part was all the stairs.

The place was guarded by three bandits wearing next to nothing. Idiots.

They were easy prey. Inside however, was a lone orc and the main hall was blocked by some fire shooting out of a series of dwarven pipes. I managed to find a door off to the side and picked the lock.

This lead to a larger room that looked like it was being used as a dining and sleeping area. I took down three more bandits and looted what I could carry.

The hall I followed split into two paths, one being behind another locked door. I chose the latter route, as it was more likely to give me a stealth advantage. This lead up to a balcony with two small ballista. Neither were aimed at the target, and I couldn’t get them to move, so I went with the poison arrow approach. All three when down easily…

 

The one I assume to be Alain had an interesting weapon on him called ‘Ageisbane’. Not being a fan of heavy weapons, I still took it to see if I could get a good price on it. They didn’t have much on them, and just as little laying around and was about to leave when I found a gate with a master lock on it. It took a few tried, but I managed to get it open.

 

_Ahh, this is where they kept all their loot…_

 

Some gold ore, a couple dwarven metal ingots, an enchanted bow and shield, dwarven armor, and a couple bags of coin.

After looking around a bit more, and deciding that I didn’t want to fight those dwarven mechanical creatures, I headed out back to Windhelm.

 

**~In the city~**

 

It was nightfall by the time I got back, and the shops all had closed. Just my luck. I did however manage to find a forge to use and repair some of the things I picked up. I saw a couple dunmer that had helped me out in the city before, and was reminded of what Muiri told me, how she had been treated.

 

_If you cared about someone enough to treat them as family, would you not believe what they say?_

Thinking about how the family had turned their back on her made me think about my past… and how no one believed a word I said. Despite my devotion, they persecuted me for a crime I didn’t commit.

The more I thought about it, the more I could justify fulfilling the extra part of the contract. As I was passing through the rows of graves, I spotted Nilsine walking home… and I followed her. I waited a while after she went inside to make sure I wouldn’t be caught entering.

Once inside, I waited in a corner, hoping she would go to bed soon.

An hour passed before I heard walking… but she wasn’t going to bed, she was walking down the stairs towards my hiding spot. I hid behind a barrel, hoping she would just be going to the kitchen area just around the corner, but she didn’t.

 

“You’re not supposed to be in here.”

 

_Shit, she saw me! W-what do I do?_

I panicked, and attacked her, but she didn’t go down quiet. A passing guard heard the noise and ran up to me as I tried to leave the house. I just ran as fast as I could through the hold and jumped into the nearby river to get away faster.

After a few yards, the guards stopped following and I pulled myself out of the freezing water. I managed to put up a small tent and tried to stay warm while I waited for morning before traveling back.

 

**~Morning~**

 

I woke up feeling less cold, but a bit icky since I didn’t really have dry clothes to change into. I packed everything up and headed back to the stables to get a carriage back to Markarth.

With every day on the slow trip back, I started feeling worse, but I powered through it and tried to pretend I was okay when I arrived at the Hag’s Cure.

 

“Well, what news? Is Alain...”

I nodded, “Alain Dufont now lies dead.”

Muiri sighed, “Thank you. That bastard got exactly what he deserved. And... I heard about Nilsine. You have more than fulfilled your part of the bargain. Please, take this--as payment, and a symbol of my affection…”

She handed me a bag of coin and a ring.

“I'll never forget you.”

 

With that done, I sold what I could in the market and hurried back to the sanctuary.

 

**~At the sanctuary~**

 

Pushing open the black door felt harder than usual, and after taking a few steps inside, everything just heavy. I tried to brace myself against the wall as I walked down the steps. I managed to get to Astrid before my head started to feel funny.

 

“Ah, you’re back. So, how went your first real—hey, are you okay?”

 

That was the last thing I heard before I felt myself fall to the floor.


	9. …I’m a what?

Astrid raced forward to catch Lyra before she hit the floor, and laid her down carefully.

 

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

 

She noticed her sweating and checked her forehead. She was burning up.

 

“Shit… ARNBJORN!”

 

Astrid called for her husband. While she was strong, she didn’t think she could carry her to the sleeping quarters. Arnbjorn ran up the stairs, expecting trouble but instead seeing his wife kneeling on the ground over the new recruit.

 

“What happened?”

 

“She collapsed as soon as she came in, and she’s running a high fever. Help me get her to a bed.”

 

He grunted, not really wanting to help the newbie, but did it anyway. He picked up Lyra as if she weighed no more than a stack of cut firewood, and carried her through the sanctuary with Astrid following. As they passed through the dinning area, they caught the attention of Nazir, who was at the table, looking over contracts.

 

“What happened to our new sister?”

“It looks like she got sick. Please go wake Babette. She should know how to help.”

  
  
As Arnbjorn placed her in one of the beds, a child’s voice is heard complaining down below, “I may be older than all of you, but I still need my beauty sleep…”  
  


Astrid leaned over the edge of the railing, “Be that as it may, dear sister, our newest member has fallen ill and we need your expert knowledge.”

 

Babette rubbed her eyes as she climbed up to the sleeping area, and saw the state that Lyra was in.

 

“Her clothes smell damp, and it’s not just from how much she’s sweating. She must have gotten drenched and didn’t properly dry off,” Babette remarked as she checked Lyra’s temperature. “Where was her last contract?”  
  
“Up in Markarth, but she shouldn’t have gotten sick just from that,” Astrid sighed.

“It’s likely that her target was somewhere further north, and got sick on her way back.” Babette started rolling up her sleeves, “We need to get her out of these clothes and into something dry, and some water with a rag to clean off the sweat.”

 

Arnbjorn left Astrid and Babette alone to take care of Lyra, but not before getting the supplies Babette requested. In her delirium, Lyra struggled and tried to pull away while Astrid and Babette were cleaning her off. After a while, they managed to get her into some loose, dry clothes, and resting somewhat comfortably. Little did they know that in Lyra’s dreams, she was far from feeling comfortable.

 

**_~The Nightmare~_ **

_Lyra found herself walking through the halls of her old house, searching for Aldaone, her adoptive father. The main hall was decorated for her upcoming celebration, but some things seemed off. As she walked towards the living quarters, she felt increasingly anxious as she noticed that she was the only one walking around._

_“Where is everyone?”_

_She soon found herself standing before Aldaone’s door._

_“Something is wrong…How did I get here?”_

_Despite her anxiety, she felt compelled to open the door. As she stepped inside, she found Aldaone’s body on the floor with a knife in his back. She instinctually went over to him and pulled the knife from his back. She heard a voice call out to her, yet saw no one._

_‘Murderer!’_

_“But…I didn’t do it.”_

_‘After her!’_

_Panic filled her as she tried to run, but felt as if her limbs were weighed down with stones. She tried to make her legs to move faster, but couldn’t. She saw a door not far ahead and used all her strength to try and reach it, until she felt hands grab her arms and drag her back. She struggled, but could not break free of her captors and began to cry._

_“I didn’t do it…I didn’t kill him!”_

**_~Meanwhile~_ **

“Nazir, have you seen Lyra? I left to make something to bring down her fever, and she’s not in bed.”

Nazir thought for a moment, “Can’t say I have, Babette. Things have been quiet for the most part.”

 

Just then, they heard Gabriella shouting. Both Nazir and Babette went down the hall to see what the commotion was, and found Lyra stumbling through the main area, trying to get to the door that leads out of the sanctuary. Both Nazir and Gabriella grabbed Lyra’s arms in an effort to stop her, and she tried unsuccessfully to pull her arms free.

 

“Hey now, sister. We are just trying to help you,” Nazir explained.

Lyra started to cry, mumbling, “m’didn’t do it… I didn’t kill him.”

“You two bring her back to bed,” Babette said calmly. They helped her walk back to the sleeping area and get her back into bed.

Gabriella sat beside Lyra and started wiping the sweat from her forehead, “The poor thing… she looked like she was trying to run from something.”

 

“Her fever is probably making her dreams seem more real,” Babette mused while preparing a potion. “Here, see if you can get her to drink some of this. It should help bring down the fever,” and handed a small bottle to Gabriella. She got Lyra to drink a little, then they both let her rest for a while before periodically checking on her.

 

**_~Later that night~_ **

 

Babette decided to check on Lyra before going out to feed, and found Cicero beside her bed, muttering to himself.

 

“Oh, good evening, Keeper.”

Cicero turned to face Babette and gave one of his half-smiles as he greeted her, “The un-child! Good evening, sister!”

“Are you checking on Lyra?”

Cicero looked back at the sister in question with a furrowed brow, “She doesn’t look good…”

Babette sits beside Lyra and changes the damp rag on her forehead, “If her fever breaks, she should be alright.”

“I hope so…Cicero would hate to lose another family member so soon…”

 

Babette bid him good night and left the two of them alone. Cicero just stood there watching her, thinking. He was brought out of his thoughts when she made a dressed noise. Lyra was still asleep, but looked as though she was trapped in another nightmare.

 

Cicero wanted to help her, but couldn’t think of anything to do. ‘ _Maybe a bath? No, she’s not really awake enough to enjoy it, and the others might get the wrong idea. I could make her some food! ...No, that won’t do. She probably doesn’t feel like eating…’_

He took another look at her, and noticed how messy her hair had gotten from her travels. ‘ _Maybe… she wouldn’t mind if I brushed her hair?’_

He stared looking through her things in search of a brush, and managed to find one in the bottom of her pack. He then sat beside her and gently removed the ties that held her braids in place around her head. It was then he realized how long her hair really was and started to carefully brush out the tangles, starting at the bottom and working his way up. He would quietly hum a tune to her as he brushed her hair, and by the time he was done, she looked more at peace. Satisfied with the outcome, he put her hair back in loose braids and let her rest.

 

He doesn’t fully trust her yet, but she seems nice enough… and if doing something as small as brushing her hair can help her feel better, perhaps she wouldn’t mind if he kept doing it.

 

**_~A week later~_ **

Cicero would brush Lyra’s hair every night when he wasn’t tending to the Night Mother, and would either hum to her or tell her little jokes and stories in the hope that she would not be plagued by nightmares. Her fever had broken after a few days and she slowly started eating again. At one point when one of the members brought her some food, she asked who took care of her. She was not only surprised to hear that Babette and Gabriella had watched over her, but also that the Keeper himself had made an effort to keep her comfortable. She had managed to catch him one night, by pretending to be asleep. When she caught him, he explained that he did it to help her sleep, and that he thought it was a shame to let her pretty hair get all messy. What he didn’t tell her though was that he enjoyed having someone other than the Night Mother to talk to, even if she wasn’t well enough to talk back. Lyra on the other hand, wasn’t really comfortable being around people. She was still getting used to people helping her, and she didn’t really know how to feel about what Cicero was doing to her while she was asleep. She was getting tired of keeping people at arm’s length and hated being alone, after growing up around large families.

 

_‘Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to get to know him. The others don’t seem to like him too much, and most seem to barely tolerate him.’_

Lyra suggested that perhaps they meet once a week to talk and share stories while he brushes her hair. Cicero seemed hesitant, but accepted.

 

**_~A couple days later~_ **

 

**(Lyra’s POV)**

 

It was nice to finally get out of the Sanctuary and get some fresh air. I wanted to repay Babette and Gabriella for taking care of me, so I decided to get some ingredients to replenish their stock, and get some things to make dinner with. Muri paid me pretty well and I made some good money selling all the loot I found in that ruin.

 

After buying what I needed for dinner and some treats, I stopped at Grave Concoctions.

 

“Lyra! Good to see you again.”

“Evening, Zaria.”

“Need me to mix something up for you?”

“Actually,” I pulled out the list of what was needed, along with the ring Muri gave me. “I have something for you, as well as a list of ingredients I hope you can help me with.”

Zaria picked up the ring to inspect it, “This looks pretty nice. Are you sure you want to part with it?”

“Yep. I got it as a reward for a job I did. It’s supposed to help you make better potions, and since I’ve never been good at mixing them, I have no use for it.”

“Well, thank you! Now,” she pockets the ring and takes a look at my list, “let’s see if we can’t find what you need.”

 

With every item she listed off, she pulled it out and put it on the counter. There were a couple things she either had just run out of or had limited stock, but she gave me a small discount as a thanks for the ring. I was about to leave after paying for the ingredients when she stopped me.

 

“Wait, I almost forgot!” She pulled out a letter from behind the counter and handed it to me. “This came for you last week.”

 

I thanked her and left with my purchases and letter, and headed back to the Sanctuary.

 

**_~At the Sanctuary~_ **

****

As I walked in, bags in hand, I was stopped by Astrid.

 

"Ah, you're back.”

“Yep, I thought I should make dinner as a thanks for putting up with me.”

“I didn’t get to ask this when you came back before, but how went your first real contract? A bit more exciting than what Nazir's been offering, I'd wager."

I shrugged, “I did what had to be done. Nothing more.”

"Of course, dear. Of course. And, from what my little ravens tell me, you handled yourself quite well. Now, I need your assistance with a matter of a more... personal nature."

“Is something wrong?”

She crossed her arms and spoke in a hushed tone, "It's Cicero. Ever since he arrived, his behavior's been... Well, erratic would be an understatement. I do believe he is truly mad. But it's worse than that. He's taken to locking himself in the Night Mother's chamber, and talking. To someone. In hushed, but frantic tones. Who is he speaking with? What are they planning? I fear treachery."

I looked at her with a raised eyebrow, “Astrid, you're being a bit... paranoid.”

"Maybe so, but healthy paranoia has saved this Sanctuary before, and my gut's telling me that demented little fool is up to something."

“Maybe, but I’m still waiting to hear how I factor into this…”

"Dear sister, I need you to steal into that chamber, and eavesdrop on their meeting. It'll be no use clinging to the shadows. They'll see you for sure. No, you need a hiding place. Somewhere they'd never think to look. Like inside the Night Mother's coffin."

“You want me to hide in the Night Mother’s coffin? Do you realize how disrespectful that is?”

"Be that as it may, we have no other choice. You need to remain unseen! Now go! Before they meet. And report back to me with whatever you learn."

I sighed, rubbing my forehead. “Assuming that this is real and not paranoia, do you have any idea who would conspire with Cicero?”

"That's the real question, isn't it? The jester enters, seals the door, and the conversation begins. So someone must be waiting for him inside. Any one of us could enter that chamber silently. Unnoticed. But who amongst us would dare conspire against the Sanctuary? The very thought breaks my heart."

 

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at this. ‘ _Cicero really doesn’t seem like the type that would do something like that.’_

“What do you think Cicero is planning?”

"Isn't it obvious? As the Night Mother's Keeper, he believes he's entitled to the rule of this Sanctuary. Cicero will cite our independence as the need to revert to the Old Ways. He'll claim we're undisciplined, unruly. Heretical, even. Ironically, the Night Mother could prove to be just as much a victim. The queen in a fool's twisted game of chess."

 

_‘Highly unlikely, since he follows the tenets to the letter. I don’t like the idea of this at all, but if this will prove she’s being paranoid for no reason, then I don’t have a choice.’_

I went past her and walked down to the dining area to set the food down, and found Gabriella talking with Nazir.

 

“Good evening, sister. It’s nice to see you up and about.”

“Hey, Nazir. I feel much better now.”

“What did you get?”

“I’m… not that great with people, and I don’t know how to deal with people doing things for me. I wanted to thank you all for taking care of me, so I thought I would make dinner for everyone.”

“That’s very sweet of you. Looks like you get a break tonight, Nazir.”

“I just have some things to give to Babette and then I’ll start getting dinner ready.”

 

I managed to find Babette over by the spider pit and gave her all the supplies I bought, except for the ones I couldn’t get.

 

I got a couple sweet rolls for Cicero and I to share… but I should probably wait til after I do that thing for Astrid.

 

I walked over to the room where the Night Mothers coffin was being kept, careful not to run into anyone. Once inside the room, I closed the door and walked over to her coffin.

 

_‘This feels really wrong to do…’_

I opened the coffin doors, _‘please forgive me,’_ and stepped inside, closing them behind me. I tried to stay as still and silent as possible. It wasn’t long before I could hear someone enter the room.

 

"Are we alone? Yes... yes... alone. Sweet solitude. No one will hear us, disturb us. Everything is going according to plan. The others... I've spoken to them. And they're coming around, I know it. The wizard, Festus Krex... perhaps even the Argonian, and the un-child... What about you? Have you... spoken to anyone? No.... No, of course not. I do the talking, the stalking, the seeing and saying! And what do you do? Nothing! Not... not that I'm angry! No, never! Cicero understands. Heh. Cicero always understands! And obeys! You will talk when you're ready, won't you? Won't you... ...sweet Night Mother."

 

_‘Cicero…he’s been talking to the Night Mother.’_

"Poor Cicero. Dear Cicero. Such a humble servant. But he will never hear my voice. For he is not the Listener."

 

I looked at the Night Mother’s corpse beside me.

 

_‘Wait, did she just speak?’_

"Oh, but how can I defend you? How can I exert your will? If you will not speak? To anyone!" Cicero whined.

"Oh, but I will speak. I will speak to you. For you are the one. Yes, you. You, who shares my iron tomb, who warms my ancient bones. I give you this task - journey to Volunruud. Speak with Amaund Motierre."

 

_‘…Wait, what? Does she mean the Listener?’_

"Poor Cicero has failed you. Poor Cicero is sorry, sweet mother. I've tried, so very hard. But I just can't find the Listener."

"Tell Cicero the time has come. Tell him the words he has been waiting for, all these years: "Darkness rises when silence dies.""

 

I suddenly felt myself fall out of the darkness of the coffin and onto the stone floor. Looking up, I saw Cicero. The look of shock, confusion, and finally angry flew across his face.

 

"What? What treachery! Defiler! Debaser and defiler! You have violated the sanctity of the Night Mother's coffin! Explain yourself! Speak, worm!"

“W-wait, Cicero I can explain! The Night Mother spoke to me! She said "I am the one."”

He stepped closer to me. "She... spoke to you? More treachery! More trickery and deceit! You lie! The Night Mother speaks only to the Listener! And there is... no... Listener!"

He grabbed me by the front of my shirt and lifted me up from the ground. “Wait! I can prove she spoke to me. She said to tell you, "Darkness rises when silence dies."”

 

He stared at me for a while, slowly processing what I had said. He slowly released me, no longer looking angry, but a mix of shock and… excitement?

 

"She... she said that? She said those words... to you? "Darkness rises when silence dies"? But those are the words. The Binding Words. Written in the Keeping Tomes. The signal so I should know. Mother's only way of talking to sweet Cicero... Then... it is true! She is back! Our Lady is back! She has chosen a Listener! She has chosen you! Ha ha ha! All hail the Listener!"

Astrid burst into the room with her blade drawn, "By Sithis, this ends now! Back away, fool! Whatever you've been planning is over! Are you all right? I heard the commotion. Who was Cicero talking to? Where's the accomplice? Reveal yourself, traitor!"

Cicero turned and spoke to her, sounding mildly irritated, "I spoke only to the Night Mother! I spoke to the Night Mother, but she didn't speak to me. Oh no. She spoke only to him! To the listener!"

"What? The Listener? What are you going on about? What is this lunacy?"

"It's true, it's true! The Night Mother has spoken! The silence has been broken! The Listener has been chosen!"

 

Cicero started to dance in his excitement at the news, while Astrid and I looked at each other, confused.

 

Astrid walked over to me, "When I heard Cicero screaming, I knew you'd been discovered. I feared the worst. Are you all right?"

“Yes, I'm fine.”

 

"Then what in Sithis' name is going on? Cicero spoke to the Night Mother, but she spoke to you? Is this just more of the fool's rambling?"

“I... I don't know. It happened so fast.”

 

"Okay, let's all take a deep breath. Cicero said he spoke to the Night Mother, but she spoke to you? Please tell me this is some kind of sick joke."

“It's true. The Night Mother spoke to me. She said I was "the one."”

"What? So Cicero wasn't talking to anyone else. Just... the Night Mother's body? And the Night Mother, who, according to everything we know, will only speak to the person chosen as Listener... just spoke. Right now... ...to you?"

“She told me I must speak to someone named Amaund Motierre, in Volunruud.”

"Amaund Motierre? I have no idea who that is. But Volunruud... that I have heard of. And I know where it is."

“So… I should go to Volunruud? I should talk to this man?

"Hmm? No. No! Listen, I don't know what's going on here, but you take your orders from me. Are we clear on that? The Night Mother may have spoken to you, but I am still the leader of this Family. I will not have my authority so easily dismissed. I... I need time to think about all this. Go see Nazir - do some work for him. I'll find you when I'm ready to discuss the matter further."

 

With that, Astrid left the room, leaving me and the Keeper alone.

 

I felt myself suddenly pulled, being dragged into a halfhearted dance with the Keeper. "You are the Listener! You are the Listener! I have served mother well, I have!"

 

I wiggled out of his grip and dusted myself off.

 

“Um…Cicero?”

He stopped dancing and looked at me, “Yes, my Listener?”

“Um…did you want to be the Listener?”

"Oh... Well... yes. I did. I did indeed. I tried to listen. Tried so very hard. But the Night Mother never spoke to poor Cicero. The silence became almost... maddening. Oh, but that was then! This is now! You're the Listener, and the Night Mother chose you for a reason, I'm sure! Cicero will remain the happy Keeper."

“Will the Night Mother speak to me again?”

"Ha! Surely you're pulling Cicero's leg! Wait... the Listener is serious? Oh. Well of course the Night Mother will speak to you again! She might speak now, or later, or... I don't know! But speak she will! The Night Mother is part of you now! You get to hear her voices inside your head! The rest of us should be so lucky."

 

_‘I don’t think he and I share the same definition of ‘lucky’…’_

I excused myself and left to go make dinner, and as I closed the door to the keepers room, I could still hear him bubbling with excitement at the news that a Listener had been chosen.

 

**_~After dinner~_ **

 

Dinner turned out pretty good. Thank the gods that I learned how to make a decent stew. I still had those sweet rolls tucked away. Maybe now would be a good time to share them.

 

I found Cicero wandering the halls, humming to himself.

 

“Keeper!”

He turned and smiled at me, “Yes? Is there something this humble Keeper can do for the great Listener?”

I inwardly cringed at the new title, but smiled and held up the two sweet rolls I had purchased earlier. “I was hoping that you would like to share these with me…also as an apology for hiding in the Night Mother’s coffin…”

He beamed at the sight of the sweets I held and guided me to his room, “Cicero would be honored to share a sweet roll with the Listener!”

 

He hurried me inside and closed the door behind him.

 

“Come, come! Sit here with Cicero!” he sat on the bed and patted the space across from him.

 

Sitting across from him, I set down the treats in between us. I watched as he carefully took off his gloves in order to eat his sweet roll.

 

“Cicero, are you not going to call me by my name anymore?”

He stopped mid bite, and gave me a confused look, “You are the Listener now. It would be disrespectful of Cicero to call you anything else.”

 

I felt a little disappointed. My dragonborn friend had often told me how being referred to by their title only made them feel. I must have shown it on my face.

 

“Does the Listener not want to be the Listener?”

 

He sounded kind of sad.

 

“It’s not that… I would just prefer to be called by my name, not my title. I’m still me.”

He thought for a while, quietly. As I started to eat my sweet roll, he spoke, “If the Listener wishes me to use her name, I will do as you ask.”

I smiled, “Thank you Cicero.”

“You’re…You’re welcome, Lyra.”

 

We continued to talk, about my contract, jokes he heard. As I was telling a story from my caravan days, he suddenly reached out to me and whipped his thumb against the corner of my mouth, effectively stopping from speaking.

 

“Cicero noticed that you had some icing on your face.”

I could feel my ears burning, “O-oh? Ah,” I cleared my throat, “thank you for getting it, but you could have just told me.”

“I didn’t want to interrupt your story, but it looks like Cicero did anyway.”

“I-it’s okay, really.”

 

After a while, we finished our treats and I said goodnight. When I got back to my bed, I remembered the letter I had received earlier from my friend and decided to open it.

 

            _“Lyra,_

_At least you said goodbye this time. I have a small homestead in the hold where the Grave Concoctions is. You are welcome to use it if you get tired of camping. I will be visiting in a couple weeks to take care of some things. I would             appreciate it if you would visit with me._

_The Dragonborn”_

Well…Shit.


End file.
